This application relates to model and toy (“toy”) building bricks or blocks (“blocks”) such as those sold by The LEGO™ Group of companies (see, e.g., www.lego.com), and to toy building block sets comprising pluralities of such blocks.
Toy building blocks of the type to which the invention relates are described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,005,282 and 6,645,033, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, such blocks typically comprise hollow box-shaped blocks 10 having tops with outwardly facing surfaces 12 which are provided with primary coupling members in the form of cylindrical projections or studs (“studs”) 14. The studs are located at evenly-spaced positions in regular n×m row and column array arrangements, which for embodiments such as the standard rectangular parallelpiped blocks shown (e.g., standard LEGO™ block with length L=3 cm×width W=1.5 cm×height H=1 cm rectangular size format and 2×4 stud arrangement) are so disposed that four studs form the corners of a square. Downwardly opening hollow cavities 16 are defined by inside surfaces 18, 20 of the top and sides of the blocks 10. Located within the cavities 16 are secondary coupling members 22 in the form of cylindrical tubular elements 22 that depend from the top inside surfaces 18 at positions corresponding to centers of the squares whose corners are formed by the studs 14, and which when two blocks 10 are interconnected will fit in between four of the studs 14 (see FIG. 4).
The blocks 10 are typically fabricated using injection molding of thermoplastic material, with the coupling members 14, 22 and insides of the cavities 16 being dimensioned, configured and adapted so that blocks 10 may be removably interconnected by causing the coupling studs 14 of one block 10 to enter the cavity 16 of another block 10, whereby the studs 14 frictionally engage with the inside walls that define the cavity 16 and with the adjacent tubular element 22 centrally in the cavity 16. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,033, the coupling studs 14 may be substantially cylindrical tubes, and additional flanges or ribs (“ribs”) 24, 26 may be provided extending outwardly from the inside surfaces 18 defining the cavities 16 and/or from the tubular elements 22 at points of frictional engagement of those surfaces 18 and elements 22 of one block with the studs 14 of another.
FIGS. 2 and 4 show elongated ribs 24 extending vertically between the top inside surface 18 and side bottom edges 28 within the cavity 16 of each block 10, at lengthwise or widthwise evenly-spaced intervals along the long and short side inside surfaces 20. For the illustrated embodiment block 10, the relative positioning of sidewall ribs 24, tubular elements 22 and studs 14 is such that there are three points of frictional engagement at respective angularly-spaced intervals about the outer circumference of the studs 14 when adjacent blocks 10 are fitted together (see FIG. 4).
FIG. 5 shows a modification of block 10 in the form of an otherwise similar block 110 which also has elongated ribs 26 extending vertically between a top inside surface 18 and side bottom edges 28 within a cavity 16, at even angularly-spaced intervals around the outer circumferences of each tubular element 22. For the modified embodiment block 110, the relative positioning of sidewall ribs 24, tubular element ribs 26 and studs 14 is such that three of the ribs 24 and 26 will frictionally engage each stud 14 at respective angularly-spaced intervals about the outer circumference of the stud 14 when adjacent blocks 110 are fitted together. Studs 14 engaged at corners within the cavity 16 will be engaged by two sidewall ribs 24 and one tubular element rib 26, and studs engaged at other locations will be engaged by one sidewall rib 24 and two tubular element ribs 26, as shown.
It is advantageous for all building blocks 10 or 110 of a building block set to be of same standard sizes. As stated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,033 at col. 1, lines 36-44, in connection with modular building block sets using blocks described therein, for example, “it is important that all building elements of the building set comply with fixed modular measures which characterize the building set, such as a fixed modularized height, width and length of the body parts of the building elements, as well as a fixed modularized distance between the individual coupling studs, side flange and coupling flanges. This is required to ensure that the building set allows different models to be built in an easy manner.”
The incorporation of a discrete electrical component, such as a capacitor, within a cavity of a toy building block is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,775, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. There is, however, no disclosure of incorporation within the cavity of a standard building block of more complex electronic devices or systems. A battery building element described in that patent that includes cylindrical coupling members for interconnection with standard sized building blocks is a dedicated purpose building module that has a non-standard, multiple block size which is much larger size than standard building blocks such as the standard blocks 10 or 110 shown in FIGS. 1-5.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,547,624 and 6,733,360, the entireties of both of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe other modular building elements that incorporate more complex circuitry in the form of cameras or similar visual image input devices and also include cylindrical coupling members for interconnection with standard toy building blocks of the type described above. However these, too, take the form of non-standard oversized building elements that are dedicated to a specific purpose and cannot readily be interchanged with blocks such as the described blocks 10 and 110.